The 2026 Planning Landscape: Policy, Data & AI

On Wednesday 3 June, we brought together leading voices from across planning and development at The Loading Bay, Shoreditch, to take stock of where the sector stands in 2026, and where policy, data, and AI are taking it next. Speakers included the LPDF, Lichfields, the RTPI and Hallam Land (part of Henry Boot). This event delivered a candid assessment of government performance, the structural shifts reshaping planning, and practical insight into what a competitive firm looks like in five years' time.

What did the panel cover:

Part 1: State of Play and the Structural Shift

• The state of the sector: the core issues facing development right now — and whether constant policy turbulence is itself the problem
• Industry wins: what's seeded, and what's starting to look like a genuine success
• Structural shift or policy churn? The revised NPPF, the Planning and Infrastructure Act, Grey Belt, the station-proximity presumption, and 370k housing targets — and what survives a change of government in 2029
• The direction of travel: where planning policy is heading over the course of this government
• AI in the system: MHCLG's £6.9m partnership with Google Cloud to halve householder decision times — and whether near-instant decisions are realistic
• Scoring the government: marks out of 10 on planning performance to date

Part 2: Where the Edge Has Moved

• What separates the firms that thrive over the next five years: size, capital, capability, culture — or something else entirely
• Where data actually has currency in the planning process, and where it doesn't
• Humans in the loop: keeping the right checks and balances in an increasingly AI-driven workflow
• The next generation: how a digital, AI-centric industry changes the path for those entering it
• Where developers and promoters need to adapt fastest to stay competitive

Our speakers:

• Sam Stafford – Managing Director – LPDF
• Ed Clarke – Associate Director – Lichfields
• Mahsa Ige – London Vice Chair – RTPI and Founder — Urbanist on a Mission
• Paul Burton – Executive Director – Hallam Land (part of Henry Boot)

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